Clothes-dampening machine.



J. J. SELTENREICH. CLOTHES DAMPENING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. I8, 1911. 1,1 34,702. Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

1.1. SELTENREICH. CLOTHES DAMPENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18, I911. 1,134,702, 7 Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS co v FHOTG'LITHQ. WASHINGTON D. C4

J. J. SELTENREICH.

CLOTHES DAMPENING MACHINE.

APPLlCATIbN FILED DEC. I8| 19Il.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

THE NaRRls PEYERS C0.. PHOTG-LITHO.. WASHINGIUN, D. C.

7 tion.

JOHN J. SEL'IENR-EICH, O13 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR' TONATIONAL CHEMICAL COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.-

CLOTHES-DAMPENING MACHINE.

Application filed December 18, 1911. Serial No. 666,484.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN J. SELTEN- REICH, of Chicago, in the county of Cook, in the State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Dampening Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact descrip- This invention relates to certain improvements in clothes dampening machines for dampening starched articles, such as shirts,

collars, cufis, and the like, preparatory to ironing.

The main object of my present invention is to provide simple means for rapidly and economically applying a proper amount of moisture to all parts of such articles without liability of excessive saturation and at thesame time to subject such articles to considerable pressure during. transit through the machine, whereby the softened starch is worked uniformly into the interstices of the fabric and permits them to be ironed immediately after coming from the machine. In carrying out this object it is necessary to apply the moisture with sufficient force to drive it through the fabric and at the same time to avoid excessive accumulations of moisture, either upon the fabric or upon the feeding web, so as to obtain a uniform distribution of a proper amount of moisture to all parts of the articles which are passed through the machine.

A further object, therefore, is to drive the moisture into and through the fabric under steam pressure in such a manner that the steam is condensed and its moisture content increased and projected into and through the garment in the form of a fine spray. In other words, I have sought to' utilize the force of the steam to not only draw extra moisture to itself, but to diffuse such increased moisture in the form of a spray against and through the fabricvv while in transit through the machine and at the same ammo utilize the machine for expressing embodying various features of my inventional view of the same machine, partly broken away, the main supporting frame Specification of Letters Patent. Patgntea A r. 6 1915 being omitted. Fig. 3 is a top plan of the main portlon of the machine on a level with the feed and delivery tables, the upper feed ing belt and upper section of the hood being removed, portions of the lower feeding belt and water tray being broken away to disclose the underlying parts. Fig. lis alongi tudinal vertical sectional view takenon line H, Flg. 1. F 1g. 5 1s a transverse vertical sectional view of a similar machine, except that it shows a modified form of water 'reservoir. Flg. 6 is a perspective view of the water reservoir shown in Fig.5. In carrying out the objects stated, I provide a pair of endless foraminouswebs or,

belts 1 and 2- of canvas, ducking or other suitable fabric,-the web 1- being mounted upon parallel rotary drums 3- and 4: which are disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane, some dis-' tance apart, and are journaled at their ends in suitable bearings '5' in a main supporting frame -A for'supportingthe up? per side of the web in a substantially horizontal position.

The intermediate portion of the. lower side of the web 1 is depressed some distance below the plane of the upper side and is passed around the intermediate idler drum 6 so as to permit the use of relatively long webs, which are found to be more efli cient in this class of Work in that they are less liable to slip on the drums and are also less liable to carry anexcessive amount of moisture. This excessive .mois ture is further prevented by means of a squeezing drum 7, coacting with the front roller 3, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, said drum 7 being arrang'edjust at the rear of the front roller '3' and slightly above the plane of the lower side thereof, and in close proximityv thereto, the belt 1being passed over the upper side of the drum '7 and around the under side of the front drum 3.'

Another object in depressing the 'intermediate portion of the lower side of the web or apron -1 isto afford sufficient intervening space for the" reception of a this instance two, steam pipes 9-, together with spray nozzles 10, for each steam pipe, water being supplied to the reservoir 8 from any available source through a suitable supply conduit 11-.

The web or apron 2 is disposed in a plane directly above the apron 1- and is mounted upon front and rear drums 12 and 13 which are directly over and in close proximity to the corresponding front and rear drums -3 and l and are therefore spaced some distance apart. The ends of these drums are journaled in vertically yielding bearings -l4 in the opposite ends of the main frame A, being forced downwardly by springs 15 which may be tensioned by adjusting screws l6 to cause the web or apron 2 to press with greater or less pressure upon the underlying portions of the apron 1. The lower side of the web 2 is therefore disposed in a horizontal plane, parallel with and in close proximity to the upper side of the web -1 so as to impinge the article to be moistened between the horizontal portions of both webs as the latter are moved from front to rear in the direction indicated by the arrowX-.

The intermediate portion of the upper side of the web 2 is deflected upwardly some distance above the lower side and held in this position by an idler drum 17, the ends of which are also journaled in suitable bearings 18 in the ends of the frame A, thereby leaving an intervening space between the upper and lower sides of the web for the reception of suitable moistening devices, as a steam pipe 19. This web -2 is prevented from carrying an excessive amount of moisture to the articles to be moistened by a squeezing roller or drum 20 located just at the rear of and in close proximity to the drum 12, the web 2 being passed around the under side of the squeezing roller 2() and then over the upper side of the drum -12.

Any suitable means may be employed for imparting rotary motion to one of the drums for moving the contiguous sides of the aprons -1 and 2 in the direction indicated by arrow X, and for this purpose I have shown an electric motor B as connected by a belt b to a pulley cZ- on one end of the shaft of the rear lower drum 4, so that when the machine is in action the upper side of the apron 1 will always be drawn more or less tight, thereby feeding the articles from front to rear between the adjacent sides of the webs, the upper apron 2 and its supporting drums being operated by frictional contact thereof with the web 1- or with the articles carried by the lower web. Both of these aprons 1 and 2, to-

gether with their supporting drums and squeezing rollers, and also the moistening' devices, are inclosed within a suitable housing consisting in this instance of lower and upper semi-cylindrical sections 21- and -22 preferably of sheet metal, extending from end to end of the machine and arranged with their open sides facing each other in approximately the plane of the meeting sides of the webs 1 and 2-, leaving just sufiicient clearance between the edges of the housing sections to permit the passage of the articles to be moistened therethrough. These housing sections -21 and 22 may be secured in any suitable manner to the main supporting frame A and are closed at the ends so as to confine the steam or vapor therein.

Secured to the front and rear sides respectively of the frame are a receiving table 23 and a delivery table Q4 the upper surfaces of which are disposed in sub stantially the same horizontal planes coincident with the meeting edges of the contiguous sides of the webs or aprons -land 2 so that articles laid upon the re ceiving table 23 may be fed by hand between the adjacent portions of the webs and carried thereby through the machine and delivered in a moistened condition upon the delivery table 2l from which they may be taken by hand and placed in a suit able receptacle for subsequent ironing.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the water reservoir or tray 8 containing a quantity of water is supported between the upper and lower sides of the web or apron land extends from end to end of the machine and in this tray is supported in any suitable manner a series of relatively short upright tubes or nozzles -10- open at the top and bottom and having their upper open ends arranged in close proximity to corresponding radial discharge openings 25 in the adjacent sides of the steam pipes 9 so that steam which is admitted to the steam pipes 9 is discharged across the open upper ends of the pipes 10, thereby drawing water by suction from the reservoir 8 through the pipes and discharging it in the form of a spray against and through the adjacent foraminous sides of the webs l and 2 and therefore through any articles which may be fed by said webs through the machine.

The steam passing out through the jet 1 openings -25 is more or less condensed by contact with the water which is drawn through the pipes 10-, while the force of the escaping steam across the open upper ends of the pipes converts the condensed moisture into a spray which, as previously stated, is distributed uniformly across and through the entire area of the contiguous sides of the webs and in the articles which may be supported between them. This moisany available source of steam supply not shown.

In order to assure the application of a sufiicient amount of moisture to the webs and to the articles which may be fed thereby through the machine, I provide the additional steam pipe 19 located in the space between the lower and upper sides of the web -2 and provide it with radial openings discharging against the lower side of the web -2 at an angle therewith, said pipe '19 being also connected to the steam supply pipe -27.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a modified form of reservoir 30 having its intermediate portion substantially semi-cylindrical in cross section and its ends cylindrical, the upper side of the semi-cylindrical portion being closed by a wall or partition -3lupon which rests a pair of steam pipes -9 having radial apertures discharging against the under side of the web 1-. Associated with one of these pipes 9 are a series of upright short suction pipes 10- supported in the wall or partition 31- having their lower ends inserted into the'water in the reservoir 30- and their upper open ends'disposed in close proximity to the corresponding apertures -25 in said steam pipe whereby the steam escaping through the apertures across the upper open ends of the pipes 10- draws water from the reservoir 30 and distributes it in the form of a fine spray against the upper side of the web or belt 1- at an angle thereto and preferably toward the front of the machine, the ends of the reservoir being secured by any suitable fastening means to the ends of the housing section -21.

The pipes -9- in the construction shown I in Fig. 6 extend outwardly through one end of the reservoir -30 and are provided with separate valves 32- and 33 for controlling the supply of steam.

In operation the articles to be dampened are fed by hand from the receiving table 23 between the juXta-posed sides of the belts 1 and 2- which continue to feed the articles through the machine between said belts, thereby imparting moisture thereto, such moisture being supplied by the escaping steam through the apertures -25 and by the water which is drawn by the force of the steam through the pipes .1(), such moisture being delivered against and through the foraminous webs in the form of a fine spray, the pipes being arranged so as to difiuse the spray over the entire area of the feeding portions of the belts, the dampened articles being delivered upon the table 2-1 from which they may be removed by hand. and placed in a suitable receptacle for subsequent ironing. During this operation, steam is also delivered from thepipe 19, against and through the feeding sides of the belts so as to supply additional moisture and heat thereto. It is to be understood, however, that excessive saturation of the webs is prevented first by pressure between the adjacent sides of the belts and also by the squeezing rollers 7.- and --20.

What I claim is:

1. A dampening machine comprising a pair of 7V coacting receivingrollers at the.

front end of the machine disposed one above the other, a pair of coacting delivery rollers at the rear of the machine also disposed one above the other, a foraminous belt passed, around the upper rollers, a separate foraminous belt passed around the lower rollers, the adjacent sides of the belts being disposed in the same horizontal plane and in contact, means for applying moisture to contacting portions of the belts, and squeezing rollers coacting with the receiving rollers for expressing excess moisture from the belts.

2. A dampening machine comprising a pair of receiving rollers one above the other, a pair of delivery rollers also one above the other, the meeting faces of the rollers of both pairs being disposed in substantially the same horizontal plane, a belt passed around the upper set of rollers, a separate belt passed around the lower set of rollers, the portions of the belts between the separate pairs of rollers being disposed in the same plane, squeezing rollers cooperating with the receiving rollers, and means for applying moisture to the portion of one of the belts between the separate pairs of rollers.

3. A dampening machine comprising a pair of coacting receiving rollers, aseparate pair of coacting delivering rollers, a belt passed around one of the receiving rollers and corresponding delivering roller, a separate belt passed around the other receiving roller and its corresponding delivering a roller, idler drums for holding the outer sides of the belt some distance apart from their adjacent sides to form intervening delivery table disposed in the same horizontal plane, opposedsets of rollers located respectively in proximity to the feeding table and delivery table with their adjacent faces in approximately the same horizontal plane, squeezing rollers at the inner sides of and coacting with the receiving rollers, additional rollers between the receiving and delivery rollers and at opposite sides of said horizontal plane, separate belts passing around the rollers above and below said plane and having all portions thereof between the receiving and delivery rollers in contact in the same horizontal plane, and means for applying moisture to said contacting portions of the belts at points between the receiving and delivery rollers.

5. In a dampening machine for starching articles, a pair of receiving rollers one above the other, a pair of delivery rollersone above the other and parallel with the receiving rollers but spaced some distance apart therefrom, squeezing rollers coacting with the receiving rollers, separate belts passed around the receiving and delivery rollers and also around the squeezing rollers and having all portions thereof between the re ceiving and delivery rollers in traveling contact, a water reservoir supported between the opposite sides of one of the belts, and means for forcing the water from the reservoir in the form of a spray against the c0ntacting side of one of the belts.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 2nd day of October, 1911.

JOHN J SELTENREICH.

Witnesses E. J. DARRAGI-I, C. E. LAURENTS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

